Life........the pink ribbon journey

Well, life just happens doesn't it?



I just got word from a dear friend that she has breast cancer. I thought I was having a rough day until I heard from her. It is amazing how fast things can change. I have told her...I'm here. you know, I think that is ENOUGH. She is going to need to talk, and I will just need to listen. This is really hard for me. But nothing like it is for her.



This surprises me but doesn't, I have premonitions, and yes, I knew something was "up" with this person. I have lost contact with her. I was so thrilled when I heard from her ....until I found out why............why? Why does breast cancer happen....why? It really doesn't matter why....just how to deal with it! ATTITUDE!!! I do believe this is a very strong person, She WILL beat this demon! She has the support of her family and friends. Together~we will WIN!!


Dear God,


Could you please make sure I learn whatever it is I’m meant to learn through this breast cancer journey and quickly move my dear friend on to a very healthy long life. Oh and a cure for cancer would be great while you’re at it. Amen.


Cancer is a word, not a sentence. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Soooo. just when you think life sucks....it might, but there is ALWAYS someone out there who needs to hear....no, not everythings going to be ok....but , I am here for you ~ let the fight begin!


xxoo el

A little over a year........

..and 66 pounds gone ( to never be found again).

Judy Anderson is a lifetime member!!!!!

This is what hard work & determination look like.....It's a lifetime thing! She isn't done now....her journey has just begun! The best part is now she will get a new wardrobe, and feel ...younger, powerful, energetic, sexy, sassy...oh I could go on and on.........did i mention sexy???!! Look at her!! I am so proud to call her friend...and yes, I will take partial credit in her success, as she definitely is part of mine!!

Judy's husband Bob has also been a huge part of her success!!! He is a sweetie! He also, has lost a whole clothing size!! Way to go BOB! I know Judy would love to thank him for being her number one supporter!

Another person, so "bigger than life " to all of us, I KNOW Judy wants to thank~ Julie our leader~ as always Julie has been a huge supporter, role model.......face it...she "gets it". She knows us better than we know ourselves! Then that ALWAYS leads her to say just what we need to hear!Saying Thank~You just never seems enough when it comes to her !!!!

Lifetime ~what does this mean....well~~Strong emphasis on lifetime membership: Once at your goal weight, and after maintaining it for 6 weeks, you become a Weight Watchers lifetime member. To maintain the membership and not have to pay a fee, just weigh in once per month (you pay the normal meeting fee, however, if you are 2 lbs. or more over goal weight). IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS, YOU WILL GAIN YOUR WEIGHT BACK (AND THEN SOME) !!!!TRUST
ME ON THIS!!!!!! For me though~ I HAVE to weigh every week. ACCOUNTABILITY!!!

If you are just starting, or are struggling. Look at Judy, she also struggled. She didn't give up though! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!! It will happen if you WANT it to happen. Judy's average weight loss was 1 pound per week! This is perfect, sometimes she didn't feel so much like that, but studies show, the slow weight loss wins in the end!

My little words of advise.
1. keep coming to weekly meetings
2. weigh in!!!! every time
3. journal!!!!!
4. don't forget who you were!

5. but enjoy who you now are
6. did I say journal?? :)

I am so incredibly proud of you! XXOO ellen

make the commitment

.........you know, I think I will take the summer off from my weight loss/maintaining effort.......what? Have you heard this? Have you SAID this...???

Habits must be changed, physical activity must be incorporated and a general healthier approach to living must be embraced. For many individuals, the promise of a thinner self is the inspiration to maintain a weight loss regimen.

Losing weight can have a significant effect on your health and also on your self-esteem.

Feeling good about your physical appearance benefits your self-esteem in many ways. For many people, not being proud of their body, prevents them from attaining what they want in life. It is exciting to think of the many areas in your life that will change, when you lose the weight.


Focus on two or three goals at a time. Great, effective goals are —
•Specific
•Realistic
•Forgiving (less than perfect)
For example, "Exercise More" is not a specific goal. But if you say, "I will walk 15 minutes, 3 days a week for the first week," you are setting a specific and realistic goal for the first week.

Remember, small changes every day can lead to big results in the long run. Also remember that realistic goals are achievable goals. By achieving your short-term goals day-by-day, you'll feel good about your progress and be motivated to continue. Setting unrealistic goals, such as losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks, can leave you feeling defeated and frustrated.
Being realistic also means expecting occasional setbacks. Setbacks happen when you get away from your plan for whatever reason – maybe the holidays, longer work hours, or another life change. When setbacks happen, get back on track as quickly as possible. Also take some time to think about what you would do differently if a similar situation happens, to prevent setbacks.

Keep in mind everyone is different – what works for someone else might not be right for you. Just because your neighbor lost weight by taking up running, doesn't mean running is the best option for you. Try a variety of activities – walking, swimming, tennis, or group exercise classes to see what you enjoy most and can fit into your life. These activities will be easier to stick with over the long term.

Weight loss is hard work, but the end result is well worth it! Just DON'T take the summer~OR~ anytime off from the true self you want to be!!!!!

Here is the recipe for you to try..

"FRIED CHICKEN"

1/2 sleeve whole -grain saltine crackers, pulsed in food processor to fine crumbs
2 1/2 cups Corn flakes, pulsed in a food processor to fine crumbs
2 tbsp sesame seeds
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 large egg whites
1 cup non fat yogurt
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
4 skinless chicken breast, and 4 skinless bone in chicken thighs.
Preheat oven to 375 F.

Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Combine the saltines, cornflake crumbs, sesame seeds, and cayenne, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. In a large bowl combine the egg whites, yogurt,Dijon mustard and salt . Add the chicken pieces and coat thoroughly with yogurt mixture. Then one at a time dip the chicken pieces in the cracker mixture, packing the crumbs evenly onto chicken. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and spray the tops of chicken with cooking spray. Bake until the juices run clear. About 45 min..
This yummy chicken has a 7 Points Plus Value..

Walk~!t

Denise, Mina,Judy,Ellen and Julie

Wow did we have a blast????

YEAH!! Thank-you to all who walked. Thanks to Julie for planning and executing the fun day! The weather cooperated...I wondered when I woke Sunday morning~ then the clouds separated...away we went....the walk was brisk...some ran some walked with strollers some walked as teams...the winner you ask????? ALL OF US!!!

Special Thanks to THE PURPLE CHERRY for the delicious treat!


Have you ever really considered the impact a simple activity like walking can have on your overall health?

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, not only does walking strengthen your heart, but it is good for your brain and your bones.

Studies show that you can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by incorporating at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise, like brisk walking, five or more days a week.

It's a great time to get active. The Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge encourages people to move more and walk a 5K. Did you know that walking tones muscles, relieves stress, and boosts your mood?

To get started, make an appointment. Stick to a regular time every day and put "exercise appointments" on your paper or electronic calendar. If you are a beginner, start out with just 10 minutes, adding 5-10 minutes to your "appointment" each week with a goal of completing 30-60 minute walks by the end of the challenge.



NO MORE EXCUSES!!!!~~~JUST DO IT!!!!!

To lose weight for good~ you need to love what you eat!

Vegetables~....low in calories , high in fiber. yes...they are good for you, and good!
The way you prepare them is important. If you don't think you like cooked broccoli, try it again. It might surprise you! Your taste buds change over time!

Fruits~.....this choice is slightly higher in calories than vegetables, but they are a great choice in dieting. The fruit choice is sometimes great to motivate you because of the sweetness. This just might help you avoid that dessert you are craving! This is a wonderful alternative to those high calorie desserts! A simple apple might have 4 g of fiber in a single serving!

Lean protein~...this is a great choice because it is a filling choice. Choose lean sources such as skinless chicken breast, tofu, or fat free yogurt are great sources!

Keep it new too!!! Try new recipes ....often!!! Most of all enjoy this lifestyle! It is for the rest of your life! You are the change you need to see! Great job!!!










Chicken Burrito Wrap
Points Plus+ 4 Per Serving



Ingredients:

1 oz ranch salad dressing mix, dry
7 ozs picante sauce
8 ozs chicken breast skinless, cooked and cubed
11 pcs fat-free flour tortillas, warmed
8 ozs light sour cream

Directions:

In a saucepan combine, dressing mix, shredded chicken, sour cream, and picante sauce. Mix well and heat through. Fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup chicken mixture.

Nutritional Info Per Serving: (1 Chicken Wrap)
Calories 143; Carbs 22g; Protein 9g; Fat 4g; Fiber 0.8g

inspired!!!

The difference in winning & losing is most often, not quitting.

What does someone do to inspire you? To me, inspiration is the process of instilling faith in someone to motivate him or her to do something. Many people do things simply out of the kindness in their heart, and do not realize they are inspiring others around them... This is my friend Judy Anderson. This is a wonderful woman I call my weight watcher buddy! Judy reached her goal this last week! I am so very proud and inspired by her! Judy has spent a lot of her life fighting this battle we call obesity. This has effected her in many ways. Oddly though....it is good, because it has brought her to me! For this I am grateful! This has taken her a year to lose 60 plus pounds. No it wasn't easy, but she never gave up, never missed a meeting ..simply put...she is a devoted Weight Watcher! Disciplined to achieve GREATNESS!!
(and she has!!!!....and she will continue!!) Plain and simple, Judy is a a new person and I love this person! She looks AMAZING!!! She is a tiny little thing! Lovin' shopping! We , together, still will fight this fight...daily~ and it’s people like Judy who inspire me to stay on the right track – thanks for allowing me to share her story with you!

Join a Walk-it team~inspire others with Weight Watchers!!!

Have you committed to the walk-it challenge yet?....It's not too late!!
JOIN OUR TEAM IF YOU LIKE~~~~ we are " TEAM LIFESTYLE"
order your shirts if you like at WeightWatcher.com

Tighten your sneakers, show the world your strength to inspire others with Weight Watchers.Team up with your family and friends and walk a 5K

Julie Swartz our Weight Watcher leader, is lining up the walk for the 15th of May. The 5k will be held at 2:00pm. This is truly a wonderful experience. She puts a lot into the preparation for the days event! As you are walking around the pond, you look around at all the people trying to all accomplish the same thing. GREAT HEALTH~! We all have dedicated ourselves for at least this one great challenge! We have found it in ourselves to be GREAT for one day! We have found the strength in ourselves to improve.....& commit our life to better health!

A 5K~ don't let that scare you , it is only 3.1 miles!) Walking at a steady pace, you should complete it in an hour or less. It is a great distance for beginners.Family and friends are welcome to participate. They are open to everyone whether they are a Weight Watchers member or not.

Have you ever really considered the impact a simple activity like walking can have on your overall health?

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, not only does walking strengthen your heart, but it is good for your brain and your bones.

Studies show that you can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by incorporating at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise, like brisk walking, five or more days a week.





Bubble Up Enchiladas

Weight Watcher Recipes 5 points


1 pound ground turkey
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits
1 ¼ cups shredded low fat Mexican Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown turkey and drain if needed. Mix in a can of enchilada sauce. Cut the refrigerated biscuits into fourths and stir them in the meat mixture. Then you just dump it all in a greased casserole and bake for 25 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
You can make this into 6 or 8 servings

Recipe from RECIPE DIARIES

Movement moment

Look at you daily schedule, when could you add a little more movement? Can you think of a time you can change inactivity to activity? Sure we can.....
1. stairs not elevator
2. park at the far end of the lot at the grocery store.
3. get rid of chair at work replace with exercise ball(ck. with boss...:))
4. House cleaning
5. walk to work or walk kids to school
6.Play with your kids ~jump rope, for example, or kick a ball around.
7.When using the computer for extended periods, stretch and tense various muscles
and hold for 5-6 seconds. The Flex Challenge. Can you flex your abs? butt? pull your shoulders back? Challenge yourself to do this each time something happens. For example, flex your abs every time you walk through a door. Or if you’re driving, flex your butt every time you turn. Get creative with it and have some fun.
8.Remember Jumping Jacks? See how many you can do during one or two commercials while you’re watching television. Have a lazy roommate or spouse? Challenge
them to see who can do more. Just a few ideas.....looks like fun. I am going to try a few more of these I had forgotten about.

Rough week...but no excuses

I sure have had my fill of family matters this last week. We more or less spent the whole week at the University of Iowa Hospital. I have had a new granddaughter and another granddaughter has had a kidney surgery. Everyone is home and doing better . I did not let the "cafeteria food" or lack of choices derail me. No treadmill....no problem, give me a pedometer, and all the hallways...away we go. I knew these days were coming so I had packed weeks in advance. Just a note on the bag.." fresh fruit" to remind me of what to grab at the last minute! Those items really helped. Of course you are under added stress so usually you don't eat well, but I weighed in Sat down 1.5 so, all is good. I did pack "snacks" for other family members too, so I actually had a little trouble with one item I had packed for them. A type of granola with fruit. Silly me, I kept catching myself justifying...."you really haven't eaten all your points....you can have that" Well,I did eat well more than I should of, and yes I did throw out the bag of what was left when I got home.

no matter how far down that road.......

Do you ever think you have gone so very far down a wrong road that there is no way you can ever turn back around & go ...."right?" Of course you do, we all do.....sometimes more often than we would like to admit! I have a confession to make. I'm not perfect. Sometimes, I fall off the wagon with my diet and fitness activities. Sometimes I eat more fat than I would like too. Sometimes I eat foods that don't make me feel great. Sometimes I end up being sedentary for a little while. Let's face it. It's rare that you'll find someone who will commit 100% to something and never look back or have a breakdown. But your ability to succeed will be measured by your determination and focus, as well as your ability to learn from your “mistakes”. Don't Be Hard on Yourself We're really fast at acknowledging our shortcomings, but much less at acknowledging our successes. It's very easy to beat yourself up when you fall off the wagon and never take time to celebrate all the successes you've had so far. So don't be hard on yourself and just look at what you've accomplished, no matter how small it may look! Compared to where a lot of people are at right now, you've already come a long way. List Your Benefits When you have the time, take a moment to list all of the reasons *why* you are committed to a healthy lifestyle. Why do it at all? Unless you know the *why*, you won't know the *how*. Any small difficulty will throw you off balance. So your homework assignment is to list at least 25 benefits or reasons for eating well (however you define it at this point) and exercising. Then put this list in a place where you can see it! Recommit Commitment is very important. It just means that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get to where you want to go. After you've listed your benefits, take a moment to commit to your success. All it takes is *share* your list with someone else, someone who can support you (ideally, your “success buddy”!) and tell them you commit to achieving those results. Give Yourself a Goal In addition to writing your list of benefits, give yourself one to three short-term goals that you believe you can accomplish within the next 6 to 12 months. Maybe it is to *release* a certain amount of weight. Maybe it is to lower your body fat level down to a certain percentage. Or maybe it is to succeed doing so many push-ups in a row. Set a few realistic goals that are also a little challenging, and keep your mind focused on them. Be Prepared for the Next Breakdown No matter how well you do in life, there *will* be another breakdown. I'm not saying that you'll necessarily fall off the wagon. Maybe it will just be a period of doubt and fear. Or you'll find yourself in a situation where you're not sure how to maintain your diet. Prepare for success and envision different things that could potentially be challenging. What would you do in those moments? Take a moment to think about that and discuss it with your coach or someone who supports you. Get Coaching and Support Even the best athletes in the world have their own coaches. How do you think that you will make it without one? A good coach will not only push you to get beyond where you want to go, but will also support you in the process and celebrate your successes with you. Without coaching and support, it will be much more difficult to make your list of benefits come true........~~~~~ *****mine would be a WONDERFUL woman Julie, my leader! THE BEST!!!! EVER!!! ***** A low fat ranch dressing will leave you feeling cool as a cucumber! Light and refreshing, perfect on a simple wedge of lettuce, with tomatoes and cucumbers. This ranch dressing was lightened up with Greek yogurt, low fat buttermilk and light mayonnaise along with cucumbers, Spring chives, parsley and a hint of lemon. If you don't like mayonnaise you could replace it with more buttermilk and yogurt. Skinny Cucumber Ranch Dressing Servings: 7 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 1 pt Calories: 43.4 • Fat: 2.4 g • Protein: 2.1 g • Carb: 3.6 g • Fiber: 0.3 g 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk 1/4 cup light mayonnaise 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt 1 small cucumber, peeled and seeds removed 3 tbsp fresh parsley 1 clove garlic 1/4 cup chives or scallions juice of 1/2 lemon 1/8 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper 1/4 tsp salt Combine all ingredients in a blender. Makes 1-3/4 cup.